The Russian version of Maxim magazine Russian has “forgiven” a handful of gay male celebs for their sexual preferences.
The article, titled “Gays We Respect,” claims that “we, men, do not consider men who love men to be men. This is the rule. But there are exceptions. There are gays who have earned our respect and the right to remain real men in our eyes.”
These so-called “exceptions” include British actors Stephen Fry and Ian McKellen, singer Freddie Mercury, writer Oscar Wilde, and American celebrity Neil Patrick Harris.
“Our position is clearly formulated in the introduction to the article,” the magazine’s editor told Buzzfeed.
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However, a US spokesperson for Maxim said they were “deeply disturbed by the article in Maxim Russia and fully condemn it.”
The editorial continues: “We weren’t sure about including Neil Patrick Harris in the list. After all, he declared himself a ‘happy gay’ in 2006. But his performance as Barney Stinson in the series How I Met Your Mother hasn’t left us indifferent.”
